Amy Andrews’ 95th minute goal saw Durham Women end 2023 with three points after a 1-0 win over Southampton.
In a game of few chances, the forward struck deep into injury time to hand the Blues victory at Maiden Castle.
Durham made four changes from the side that lost at Aston Villa in the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League and started the brighter of the two sides – Saoirse Noonan seeing an early effort taken wide by the swirling wind after spotting Saints stopper Bethan Howard off her line.
The blustery conditions meant the first half was a low-key affair as both teams struggled to retain possession for long spells.
There were a host of corners for both sides but they generally came to little – although Alice Griffiths did force Tatiana Saunders into a routine save after a header from the final set piece of the half.
And the second half didn’t yield much more in the way of opportunities with both goalkeepers scarcely troubled as the defences held firm.
But if anyone was going to opening the scoring, it was the hosts who looked the likelier of the two sides. Lauren Briggs fired narrowly over from 25 years after being teed-up by Mollie Lambert while Lily Crosthwaite saw a tempting cross narrowly evade Noonan before being turned wide by Poppy Pritchard at the back post.
Sarah Wilson then made a crucial block to repel Jemma Purfield’s goalbound shot, but as the game headed into added time it looked set to peter out and end as a goalless.
That was until Andrews struck in the fifth minute of the stoppage time. After Crosthwaite found Lambert, her first time pass set the substitute away and she finished coolly past Howard.
Southampton applied plenty of pressure in the time that remained, but a fine defensive display from Durham preserved the clean sheet and ensured it was they who would take maximum points.